Thursday, October 11, 2012

THEATRE REVIEW: "Kita y Fernanda" at Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company

“Kita
y Fernanda” a Spellbinding Success:

Four
Phenomenal Actresses. Two
Languages. One Powerful Play.

By
Donnie Matsuda

While there are no visible lines drawn anywhere on
the Mo`olelo stage, “Kita y Fernanda,” the final play in the socially-conscious
theatre company’s 2012 season, has a lot to say about living life on two
different sides of a border.

Gabriela Trigo and Cynthia Bastidas. Photo by Crissy Pascual.

Perhaps it is no coincidence, then, that the play
begins in a large crowd – a Chicago rally for immigrant rights – in which we
meet the title characters of the play, Kita and Fernanda, as adult
30-somethings just trying to “fit in” to the American way of life while still
fighting for the rights of those outsiders on the “other” sides of our national
borders.After decades apart, these two
women finally see each other, or at least they think they see each other, but
ultimately get lost in the crowd and don’t connect.On the surface, it seems like a trite way to
begin a poignant play about two girls’ sweeping bicultural journey from
childhood friends to more cynical, knowing adults.But when we finally see how this remarkable
journey finally ends, in a gripping final scene that will tear at your heart
and leave you in tears, it all makes complete sense.

Olivia Espinosa and Cynthia Bastidas. Photo by Crissy Pascual.

While Kita and Fernanda appear to share quite a bit
– they are both Mexican nationals living in the U.S. with mothers who don’t
speak a word of English – we begin to see they couldn’t be more different.As we constantly flashback from the
modern-day rally to various scenes in their childhood, we get more than
just a few glimpses into the many borders that divide them.Fernanda (a dynamic Gabriela Trigo) is the privileged
daughter of a rich Mexican family living in McAllen, Texas, who believes in the
power of learning English, the importance of fitting in, and the essential
commodity of blinged-out Barbie dolls.While she and her overly medicated and agoraphobic mother Doña (a
polished and poised Melba Novoa) are legal immigrants, they remain trapped as
prisoners in their lavish Texas mansion – a simple plywood box set by scenic
designer David F. Weiner – without any connection to the outside,
English-speaking world.Their only link
to humanity is through their live-in maid, a poor, undocumented immigrant named
Concha (a warm Olivia Espinosa, who does triple duty as hilarious Valley girl
Jessica and stoned out beach bum Chela) and her daughter, Kita (a courageous
Cynthia Bastidas).Kita, of course, is a
fierce firecracker who is proud of her hard-working, Spanish-speaking heritage
and pooh-poohs the Barbies in favor of Cabbage Patch dolls.

Through the course of their difficult and divided
friendship, Kita and Fernanda do share a number of funny and heartfelt
moments.That’s largely due to the perfectly
poignant writing of playwright Tanya Saracho, who knows how to capture the
essence of her four characters with equal parts humor and humanity.True, there is a significant amount of
dialogue in Spanish (about a third of the play, with one entire scene
exclusively “en Español”), but thanks to Seema Sueko and Robert Castro’s smart
and sensitive direction, it is easy to surrender to the Spanish and still
understand exactly what is going on.And, if there are still some scenes that leave you a little lost, well,
that is part of the playwright’s point: to put us in the shoes of the outsider
and make us feel the uneasiness and confusion of being a non-English speaking
minority in America.

Cynthia Bastidas and Gabriela Trigo. Photo by Crissy Pascual.

At the end of the play, there’s a lot to think
about.And in Mo`olelo’s beautifully
crafted and brilliantly acted production, there’s also a lot to admire and
enjoy.“Kita y Fernanda” is an
experience like no other: it is a whirlwind journey that will sweep you off
your feet, tug relentlessly at your heartstrings, make you laugh out loud, and
shake your moral and intellectual core.It is a must-see for any theatre-goer who wants to be moved, inspired,
and challenged.

Things
to know before you go: Kita y Fernanda presented by Mo`olelo
Performing Arts Company plays at The 10th Avenue Theatre through
October 21, 2012.Running time is 90
minutes with no intermission.For more
information or to purchase tickets, call (619) 342-7395 or visit
www.moolelo.net.

About The Drama King

Dr. Donnie Matsuda recently moved to San Diego from the SF Bay Area. He earned his bachelor's degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, where he founded and served as editor-in-chief of the Stanford Undergraduate Research Journal. He went on to earn an M.D. from Stanford's School of Medicine and he has come to San Diego to start a new life and a new career path.
Donnie's love affair with the theatre began at the age of 8 when he started singing and dancing with Galena Street East Productions. Since then he has played many roles in the Bay Area theatre scene, including choreographer, assistant director, dance captain, tech director, propmaster, arts administrator, and of course, performer. He is enjoying his newest role as theatre critic and is excited to be part of the San Diego theatre community.
Feel free to contact Donnie via e-mail at: doctordonnie1@gmail.com